Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav on March 3 challenged the Opposition BJP to approach the Centre over alleged attacks on migrant workers in Tamil Nadu if they were not satisfied with responses of governments of the two States.
The young RJD leader, who had drawn flak from the Opposition party for attending a function at Chennai earlier this week to mark the birthday of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin, also alleged that the BJP swore by nationalism but tried to drive a wedge between different States for political gains.
“You keep chanting Bharat Mata Ki Jai. Is Tamil Nadu not a part of Bharat Mata?” asked Mr. Yadav while making a statement on the issue on the floor of the State Assembly.
Referring to a video clip that Leader of the Opposition Vijay Kumar Sinha showed on his mobile phone, Mr. Yadav asked “how did you come to know it is of Bihari workers under attack from local Tamils? The only way we can ascertain it is by checking the matter with the authorities there.
“Chief Minister Nitish Kumar yesterday took note of reports and asked the officials in Patna to get in touch with their counterparts in Tamil Nadu. The DGP of that State has also come out with a video statement in English. I have got it translated in Hindi”, said the Deputy CM.
The Tamil Nadu DGP asserted that the two videos were quite old and of skirmishes that took place in two different districts, Mr. Yadav said.
“In one of the videos, it is migrant workers from Bihar and Jharkhand who can be seen fighting among themselves. In the other, a brawl among local Tamils can be seen”, the RJD leader said.
Pointing towards the Opposition members, he added “but these people are obviously not interested in facts. It is their wont to spread rumours. Only a few days ago they disrupted House proceedings over the arrest of the father of an army jawan, who was killed in action.
“It now turns out that the father has been arrested in connection with a case lodged by a neighbour”, the Deputy Chief Minister said. The two have been involved in a dispute that dates back to the period when the Army jawan was still alive,” he said.
“I would like to tell my friends in the Opposition that if you do not trust what we have to say in the matter relating to Tamil Nadu, please go and request the Union Home Minister, who belongs to their party, to constitute an empowered team to investigate the matter. After all, the Ministry has a Minister of State who belongs to Bihar”, the RJD leader added.
He also taunted Mr. Sinha, who had demanded that a special team of the House be constituted and sent to Tamil Nadu, saying “you do not seem to be carrying much weight in your own party. A press conference was called on the issue yesterday which was addressed by your counterpart in the legislative council and your party's State president but nobody bothered to invite you”.
The Deputy Chief Minister also deplored the conduct of BJP MLAs, who had stormed the well and placed chairs on the table where reporting staff sits before he rose to spoke, and staged a walkout minutes after he finished.
The combative RJD leader also gave a stinging reply when some of the BJP MLAs shouted that he had gone to Chennai by a chartered plane. “At least, I did not use a plane owned by Adani”, he quipped.
